


Taming Dragons

by Slumber



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Character Study, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-23
Updated: 2011-10-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 17:08:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 822
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26392408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Slumber/pseuds/Slumber
Summary: Charlie's first month as a dragon tamer.
Kudos: 1
Collections: 30-minute Writer's Block Challenge





	Taming Dragons

Charlie has never gone anywhere outside of England when he first arrives at the Dragon Taming Facilities Training Camp in Romania. It is his first trip abroad and as soon as his duffel bag lands on the dusty floor and he breathes in the crisp fall chill surrounding his leather tent, he knows he is home.

Brandon, his supervisor, gives him a quick tour of the facilities. In the center of the camp is the common tent, where trainers and tamers gather around after shift and at off-peak hours to eat, share a Firewhiskey or two, and get to know each other. The tents lined up along the northern side are for the top trainers--men like Brandon and his peers. The tents to the east, for most of the other dragon tamers, and the southern tents are where Charlie will be staying as a trainee.

The west is left open--beyond it, just a little over a jagged cliff, is the dragon enclosure.

There are many things to know about dragon taming, a lot of soft skills and knowledge that trainees need to acquire before they are able to handle real live dragons. Charlie knows this, he has been told long before he signed up that life would neither be easy nor glamorous at first. Because the enclosure is so far away from civilisation--wizards have mastered all sorts of tricks to maintain secrecy, but they have yet to find a way to hide massive flying beasts from the Muggles' eyes--it needs to be a self-sustaining space. 

By the southern tents there is a garden, and Charlie spends his first week pruning vegetables and watering plots of land, cooking stew and serving it to a group of raucous, ravenous tamers. He wakes up early to make breakfast for the crew, spends the hours before noon picking berries and fruits in the forests. In the afternoons he goes to the nearest river to fish for dinner, and late in the evenings he stays in the common area washing dishes, pots and pans.

By the second week he has been promoted, though he cannot say which is a better fate. This time he is allowed into the dragon enclosure, though only to clean out their dung while the trainers take the dragons out to fly. He finds himself pit-deep in the reek of dragon excrement, and no amount of soapy sudsing nor fragrancy spells can quite take the scent away.

In the evenings he gets to know his fellow trainees and their trainers. Brandon is from Wales, which he knew from his accent, and grew up with dragon tamers for parents. Scott is a trainee just like him, but he spent some time doing odd jobs here and there after leaving Hogwarts before ultimately deciding dragon taming was the job he wanted. Patrick left school early to tame dragons; Tomas had always dreamed of doing the same thing. They all have a dream of flying, and when they have time they sneak in a quick game of pick-up Quidditch. They know, though, that nothing can compare to the sensation of flying atop a dragon's back, and though they wake up lacking sleep, and go to bed sore and bruised all over from a full days' work, they all sleep fitfully and dream of dragons.

It is by far the best time he's ever had in his life.

After he's been in the enclosure for at least a month, he goes down to the nearest village with Brandon to purchase more supplies. It is about two hours' flight from the enclosure, and when they arrive at a bustling market and stone-cut walls, Charlie is momentarily stunned. In the excitement of everything he has almost forgotten that he's living in a different country. 

Brandon gives him an almost fatherly smile and tells him he's allowed to look around as soon as they finish their shopping.

Charlie follows Brandon, watches as he haggles with the shopkeepers in fluent Romanian and takes note to remember how much of each ingredient he decides to purchase. Brandon seems impressed when Charlie demonstrates a knack for the Undetectable Extension Charm, and they carry their wares around with little difficulty.

Later, Brandon shows him where the best mamaliga stall can be found, and they warm their stomachs on the sweet porridge with some good hard cheese. Charlie can barely mount his broom and fly back in a straight line, so full of food he is, but he manages somehow, much to Brandon's amusement.

They return to camp just as dusk is about to settle in, and Charlie helps Brandon unpack their food and materials and store them in their proper places. Brandon asks him how his time at the camp has been so far, and though he tries hard to stem it, Charlie's enthusiasm seeps through regardless.

Good, Brandon says. Because tomorrow I reckon you're ready to meet the dragons.

**Author's Note:**

> Please consider donating to local organizations who support trans individuals in your area.


End file.
